Series 7
* Robert Hartshorne |narrator(s) = * Michael Angelis * Michael Brandon |no_of_episodes = 26 |released = 6th October - 10th November 2003 |previous = Series 6 |next = Series 8 |production_company = Gullane Entertainment }} The '''seventh series' of Thomas & Friends first aired in October 2003 in the UK, the same day it was first released on DVD and VHS in the UK. All twenty-six episodes were narrated by Michael Angelis in the UK, all having at least one version with original music and Michael Brandon in the US, all having at least one version with new music. Michael Angelis also re-narrated four episodes for the US release New Friends for Thomas and Other Adventures. This series was filmed during HiT Entertainment's acquisition of Gullane Entertainment. An episode is paired with the eighth and ninth series airings on PBS and Nick Jr. airings on weekends. Production Whilst the acquisition of HiT Entertainment had neared completion, Britt Allcroft not only became a non-executive director, but also started to focus on outside business necessities in her second hometown of Santa Monica, California, USA. Acting as creative consultant would end up being her final involvement with Thomas & Friends. David Mitton quietly followed suit, deciding not to remain as a full time director for the show anymore. Both of them were joined by Robert Gauld-Galliers, Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell, who shared the same interest. When the eighth series first aired in 2004 on Nick Jr. in the UK and PBS in the US, a seventh series episode that is thematically similar to the two eighth series episodes in the airing would be shown between them. As there were thirteen of these airings, thirteen episodes of the seventh series were recomposed by Robert Hartshorne for these airings. Additionally, the UK version of Rheneas and the Roller Coaster with the new music was released on Bumper Party Collection! in May 2005. This continued in late 2005 with the ninth series, but that time, six episodes from the sixth series were used for the airings, thus six episodes from the seventh series were not, one of which was Rheneas and the Roller Coaster. However, they have all been released on home video in the US. The other five episodes are The Refreshment Lady's Tea Shop, Bad Day at Castle Loch, Snow Engine, The Runaway Elephant and The Grand Opening and they are the only episodes of the series to not have a known UK version with the new music. Conversely, there are only seven episodes of the series known to have a US version with the original music. On the 2004 US VHS/DVD New Friends for Thomas, the episodes Gordon and Spencer, Emily's New Coaches, The Spotless Record and Peace and Quiet are re-narrated by Michael Angelis for American audiences and they retain the original music. On another 2004 US VHS/DVD, Thomas and the Jet Engine, the episodes Harold and the Flying Horse, Bulgy Rides Again and Salty's Stormy Tale are narrated by Michael Brandon as usual yet still retain their original compositions by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell. This series also uses more stock footage than any other series to date, possibly due to the fact that it was filmed alongside Jack and the Sodor Construction Company. Episodes Jan Page |10-4 = 17th October 2003 |10-5 = #10 |10-6 = Toby's favourite place is the old windmill. One night, the windmill is put in danger when it is struck by lightning. |11-1 = BadDayAtCastleLoch43.png |11-2 = Bad Day at Castle Loch |11-3 = Jenny McDade |11-4 = 20th October 2003 |11-5 = #11 |11-6 = Donald and Douglas are instructed to take a special load for Callan Castle's reopening. Disaster strikes when a fallen tree and landslide leave them stranded all night. |12-1 = RheneasandtheRollerCoaster35.png |12-2 = Rheneas and the Roller Coaster |12-3 = James Mason |12-4 = 21st October 2003 |12-5 = #12 |12-6 = Rheneas is concerned he may not be special enough for some schoolchildren until he is diverted onto an old mountain line and has a wild ride. |13-1 = Salty'sStormyTale41.png |13-2 = Salty's Stormy Tale |13-3 = Polly Churchill |13-4 = 22nd October 2003 |13-5 = #13 |13-6 = Salty becomes upset when Thomas and Percy make fun of him. On the way home, Salty and Fergus come across a lighthouse with its generator broken down. |14-1 = SnowEngine59.png |14-2 = Snow Engine Oliver the Snow Engine |14-3 = Jenny McDade |14-4 = 23rd October 2003 |14-5 = #14 |14-6 = Oliver hates snow but changes his mind after he slips on some icy rails and he and Toad must spend the night crashed through a giant snowman. |15-1 = SomethingFishy33.png |15-2 = Something Fishy |15-3 = Paul Larson |15-4 = 24th October 2003 |15-5 = #15 |15-6 = The Fat Controller is looking for engines to run the coastal line. Arthur wishes to, as he has already been there and sees it as his favourite place. Thomas is chosen instead and he complains about the smell of fish. |16-1 = TheRunawayElephant29.png |16-2 = The Runaway Elephant |16-3 = George Tarry |16-4 = 27th October 2003 |16-5 = #16 |16-6 = When Duncan is asked to take an elephant statue to a new park, he carelessly leaves behind the brake van. |17-1 = PeaceAndQuiet32.png |17-2 = Peace and Quiet |17-3 = Paul Larson |17-4 = 28th October 2003 |17-5 = #17 |17-6 = Murdoch arrives to help with the goods work but gets annoyed when Salty and Harvey continuously ask questions. |18-1 = FergusBreakstheRules34.png |18-2 = Fergus Breaks the Rules Thomas and the Search for Fergus |18-3 = Jan Page |18-4 = 29th October 2003 |18-5 = #18 |18-6 = Diesel is sent to help Fergus at the Cement Works, where he tricks Fergus into venturing into the scrapyard. |19-1 = BulgyRidesAgain60.png |19-2 = Bulgy Rides Again |19-3 = Brian Trueman |19-4 = 30th October 2003 |19-5 = #19 |19-6 = More summer holidaymakers are flocking to Sodor, but Thomas and Emily are under maintenance, so the Fat Controller puts Bulgy back into service. |20-1 = HaroldAndTheFlyingHorse44.png |20-2 = Harold and the Flying Horse |20-3 = Robin Kingsland |20-4 = 31st October 2003 |20-5 = #20 |20-6 = The Vicar is organising a Village Fete but Harold feels left out and wishes to help in some way. He gets his chance when Pegasus, the carthorse, gets stuck in a ditch. |21-1 = TheGrandOpening54.png |21-2 = The Grand Opening |21-3 = James Mason |21-4 = 3rd November 2003 |21-5 = #21 |21-6 = Harold has engine trouble, so the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt choose to ride the hot air balloon to the opening of a new station instead. |22-1 = BestDressedEngine48.png |22-2 = Best Dressed Engine |22-3 = Polly Churchill |22-4 = 4th November 2003 |22-5 = #22 |22-6 = The engines are celebrating May Day and they are all decorated. James comes up with a "Best Dressed Engine" competition but Gordon sees decorations as undignified. |23-1 = GordonAndSpencer49.png |23-2 = Gordon and Spencer |23-3 = Lee Pressman |23-4 = 5th November 2003 |23-5 = #23 |23-6 = Gordon meets a splendid but arrogant streamliner named Spencer who is taking the Duke and Duchess to a party. Gordon advises Spencer to take on water, but he refuses to listen. |24-1 = NotSoHastyPuddings52.png |24-2 = Not So Hasty Puddings Not So Hasty Cakes Thomas and the Avalanche |24-3 = Robyn Charteris |24-4 = 6th November 2003 |24-5 = #24 |24-6 = Thomas is cross with Elizabeth for telling him he is not reliable enough when the Fat Controller assigns her to deliver some Christmas puddings to the harbour. |25-1 = TrustyRusty45.png |25-2 = Trusty Rusty |25-3 = James Mason |25-4 = 7th November 2003 |25-5 = #25 |25-6 = Rusty alerts the other engines about damage to the Old Wooden Bridge, but Duncan does not trust him, especially when he needs more coal for the journey home and the nearest coal bunker is on the other side of the bridge. |26-1 = ThreeCheersforThomas61.png |26-2 = Three Cheers for Thomas Hooray for Thomas |26-3 = Jan Page |26-4 = 10th November 2003 |26-5 = #26 |26-6 = Thomas takes some children to their annual sports day and starts to dream of winning a medal. Percy suggests having a race so Thomas races Bertie again, but he has to stop to help the Fat Controller. }} Songs |01-5 = :Good morning sunshine, brand new day :Busy day for the railway... |02-1 = JamesandtheRedBalloon70.png |02-2 = The Red Balloon |02-3 = Mike O'Donnell Junior Campbell |02-4 = 23rd December 2004 |02-5 = :There's so much to see on the Island of Sodor :Waterfalls and windmills, valleys of green... |03-1 = FergusBreakstheRules41.png |03-2 = There Once Was an Engine Who Ran Away |03-3 = Mike O'Donnell Junior Campbell |03-4 = 23rd December 2004 |03-5 = :﻿There once was an engine who ran away, :Just up and went... |04-1 = ToadStandsBy4.png |04-2 = Troublesome Trucks |04-3 = Mike O'Donnell Junior Campbell |04-4 = 23rd December 2004 |04-5 = :The engines always think they are so clever :And so they like to bump the trucks around... |05-1 = Salty'sStormyTale63.png |05-2 = Salty |05-3 = Mike O'Donnell Junior Campbell |05-4 = 23rd December 2004 |05-5 = :There's a dockside Diesel we know well :Who can spin a yarn... |06-1 = It'sOnlySnow50.png |06-2 = The Whistle Song |06-3 = Mike O'Donnell Junior Campbell |06-4 = 23rd December 2004 |06-5 = :Engines all have whistles, as everybody knows. :And as they leave the station, you'll hear the whistle blow... }} Characters * Thomas * Edward * Henry * Gordon * James * Percy * Toby * Duck * Donald and Douglas * Oliver * Bill and Ben * Harvey * Diesel * Mavis * 'Arry and Bert * Salty * Skarloey * Rheneas * Peter Sam * Duncan * Rusty * Annie and Clarabel * Troublesome Trucks * Toad * Bertie * Bulgy * Elizabeth * Harold * Cranky * Sir Topham Hatt * Lady Hatt * Refreshment Lady * The Tailor * Tiger Moth's Pilot * Harold's Pilots * The Lighthouse Keeper * The Fisherman * The Dockyard Manager * The Captain * The Tea Room Station Stationmaster * The Wellsworth Stationmaster * The Signalman * Stephen Hatt * The Storyteller * One Member of the Railway Board * Terence * Trevor * Jem Cole * The Vicar of Wellsworth * The Coaling Plant Manager * Some Workmen * Farmer Trotter * Big Mickey * Henrietta * George * Butch * Tiger Moth * Bridget Hatt * Mrs. Kyndley * Farmer Finney * Nancy * Tom Tipper * Cyril the Fogman * Jenny Packard * Farmer McColl * The Special Visitor * One of the Stone-dropping Boys * The Butler * The Fire Brigade * The Smelter's Yard Manager * Headmaster Hastings * Three other Members of the Railway Board * Stepney * Duke * The Crovan's Gate Policeman * The Dryaw Policeman * Daisy * BoCo * Class 40 * S.C. Ruffey * Bulstrode * The Elsbridge Cricket Club * Lorry 2 Characters Introduced * Emily * Fergus * Arthur * Murdoch * Spencer * Sodor Brass Band * Lord Callan * The Teacher * Dusty Miller * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford * The Mayor of Sodor Trivia * This was the final series of many things: ** David Mitton's final series as director. ** Phil Fehrle's last series as producer. ** Peter Urie's last series as executive producer. ** The final series to have Robin Kingsland, Brian Trueman and Jenny McDade write episodes for the series to date. ** The final series to include music composed by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell and thus the final series to use the original opening credits and theme. ** The final series produced by Gullane Entertainment. ** The final series dubbed by The Maidstone Studios. ** The final series dubbed by Mike Erander. ** The final series to have Britt Allcroft involved in production, as well as the only series to have her as script consultant before moving to America. ** The final series produced with any of the above mentioned people's involvement. ** The final series to use 35mm film. ** The final series in 4:3 fullscreen in Japan (as well as the last series to be released on Japanese video tapes). ** The final series to use music composed with Proteus 2, Proteus 1, Proteus 2000, Proteus 3 and Virtuoso 2000. ** The final series in Japan where episodes ended with a nameboard sequence of the characters featured. ** The final series to feature Terence until the twenty-first series. ** The final series to feature Donald and Douglas until the eleventh series. ** The final series to feature Duck, Stepney and Oliver until the twelfth series. ** The final series until the twelfth series to feature Toad with a face. ** The final series to feature Duke. ** The last series in which Robyn Charteris wrote episodes for the series until the thirteenth series. ** The final series not dubbed in Greek and Portuguese. ** The final series to feature Thomas' unused frantic face mask from Series 3. ** A spin-off series called Jack and the Sodor Construction Company filmed in 2003. * This was also the first series of several things: ** Michael Brandon's first series as primary US narrator. ** Jocelyn Stevenson's first series as executive producer. ** The first series to use the Thomas & Friends logo in the opening titles. ** The first series where Edward and Duck only speak in one episode each. ** The first series not dubbed in Norwegian or Slovenian. ** The first series filmed under HiT Entertainment. ** The first series not fully released on VHS in any country. ** The first series where Thomas is given a new wincing face mask since the original made its last appearance in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. * This marks the only series for several things: ** The only series to have Jan Page, George Tarry and Polly Churchill as episode writers. ** Jan Page's only series as script editor. ** The only series produced with the above mentioned people's involvement. ** The only series to have all of its episodes recomposed with new, different soundtracks, which was done by Robert Hartshorne. They also use the eighth series intro with Engine Roll Call as the theme. In the sixth series, this only happened with six episodes. ** The only series to have Lee Pressman write episodes for the series until the seventeenth series. ** The only model series made in the 2000's that does not have Abi Grant involved. * This series was never shown in Norway, Spain, Germany or Slovenia. * The CiTV broadcasts of this series saw the return of two episodes being compiled into one ten-minute block. The only difference is that the opening titles were shown again at the end of the first episode. At the same time, CiTV also compiled the previous episodes from the sixth series into ten-minute blocks. * This series was produced in association with Nickelodeon UK, as indicated by the endboard seen on Nick Jr. airings of the episodes. * The series was later aired from November to December 2004 when it was rebroadcast on CiTV. de:Staffel 7 es:Temporada 7 he:העונה השביעית ja:第7シーズン pl:Seria 7 ru:Сезон 7 zh:第7季 Category:Thomas & Friends Category:Series